The contexts for student learning: international students in Denmark

The paper focuses on Service, Hospitality and Tourism management education programme at the University College of Northern Denmark. The English-taught international stream is developed in a local context, following a Danish curriculum and employing Danish instructors. The students originate primarily from Eastern and Central Europe and are not socialised in the North European educational culture. It takes these students more attempts to pass examinations compared to the Danish students, and their GPA is lower compared to the Danish students. The paper addresses the immediate learning context of the programme as well as the wider context. The international students report challenges in adjusting to, and fulfilling such of the programme’s curriculum requirements as Problem-based learning techniques and securing internships with learning value. The wider cultural contest can also be seen as constraining the international students’ opportunities for learning.